England have been forced to name a completely new squad to face Pakistan in their one-day series after a coronavirus outbreak.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday that three players and four management team members had returned positive tests.
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The original 16-man squad and all coaching staff now have to self-isolate for ten days, ruling them out of the whole series.
Captain Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow are among the experienced group which now have to sit it out.
Despite that, the ECB opted to go ahead with the series with a completely new squad, which features NINE uncapped players.
Ben Stokes, who has not played for his country since March due to a finger injury, will return to captain having originally been rested.
Head coach Chris Silverwood had been due to have a rest from his duties against Pakistan but will now return, with Paul Collingwood – who was due to lead the team in his absence – ruled out.
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Together, Stokes and Silverwood will lead a mix-and-match group of players and staff, pieced together at short notice and containing a mixture of Test specialists, recalls and a smattering of domestic professionals who may never have received an international call in ordinary circumstances.
Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence, hitherto selected as red-ball specialists by England, have been handed their first opportunities in limited-overs cricket cricket and are joined by Durham’s Brydon Carse, Middlesex pair Tom Helm and John Simpson, Surrey’s Will Jacks, Gloucestershire’s David Payne, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory and Phil Salt of Sussex.
Returning to the fold after absences of varying lengths are Craig Overton, Danny Briggs, Jake Ball, Ben Duckett, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson and James Vince. Dawid Malan, who pulled out of the Sri Lanka series in question due to personal reasons, is also back.
But there is no place for Alex Hales, which suggests he may well never make an international return.
The hard-hitting opener has not played for England since testing positive for recreational drugs ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said of the 32-year-old’s absence from the squad: “No Alex Hales … that must be the end of his international career then … find it very sad that someone who made a huge mistake but was punished can’t be given another go … we all mistakes every week!”
The new players and staff who are drafted in will need to submit negative PCR tests and complete “bridging protocols” before joining the squad in Cardiff.
England start their 50-over series against Pakistan at Sophia Gardens on Thursday before heading to Lord’s on Saturday and then finishing at Edgbaston next Tuesday.
England are then due to play against the same opponents in three Twenty20s on July 16, 18 and 20 at Trent Bridge, Headingley and Emirates Old Trafford respectively.
Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Ashley Giles, said: “It’s a great opportunity to play on the biggest stage, and for most of the players selected it’s not necessarily something they would have been expecting 24 hours ago.
“It’s an exciting group of players, with some young talent and some players who have impressed at domestic level over a long period of time.
“We’re in unprecedented territory, in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team, and I’m very proud of how everyone has come together in order to get it done – both those within the ECB and from the county game.
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“Ben hasn’t captained our ODI side before so it’s a huge honour for him. We all wish him well and it’s a role I’m sure he’ll thrive in.
“I’d like to also put on record the thanks of the ECB to the PCB for their support and understanding during this time.”
England’s new-look ODI squad:
Ben Stokes (Durham, captain)
Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire)
Danny Briggs (Warwickshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Lewis Gregory (Somerset)
Tom Helm (Middlesex)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Dan Lawrence (Essex)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Matt Parkinson (Lancashire)
David Payne (Gloucestershire)
Phil Salt (Sussex)
John Simpson (Middlesex)
James Vince (Hampshire)